The African National Congress (ANC) will use more than 1 300 buses to transport tens of thousands of members to Durban on January 8, where it will host its elections manifesto launch.

Speaking on preparations for the mammoth event, ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula said the party was prepared to launch its "People's Manifesto".

"We are looking forward to a humdinger event. Primarily, people from KZN will attend, but others from across the provinces will also descend on Durban. We are ready for the manifesto and have done a lot of consultation on it."

Mbalula said the ANC would earnestly give an account of itself during the event.

"When you govern, you give an account of yourself to society. What have we done in the last five years? The last 25 years?"

He said that while the party had done a lot, there was more to do.

"We have had good and bad, we will be the first to accept criticism. But there has been good. Are we living up to expectation and promises made?"

Mbalula said the ANC was going to be more honest about what it did and could do.

"...not a bucket of promises. What are we going to do to build on achievements made and losses suffered? This will be about what we are doing for our people."

The economic challenges in South Africa were among the issues that would be discussed, Mbalula said.

"We have had growth, but a jobless one. This is as a result of domestic and international challenges we have faced. We have not let down our communities in terms of basic needs. Our economy is on the path of recovery."

He added: "We have put building blocks in place to address this. It is not good [that the] economy has affected the poorest of the poor."

Mbalula said President Cyril Ramaphosa was leading the fight to improve the economy.

"We are a party that drives an agenda of recovery in the economy. Our president is obsessed with the recovery of the economy. He is very preoccupied with economic reform so that ordinary people can get jobs."